As long as the vehicle is registered (has a license plate), it must be insured. To avoid penalties for being uninsured, you must turn in your license plate to your County Clerk's office.

What if I drop my insurance and fail to surrender my license plate to the County Clerk's office?

Your vehicle will be flagged in Kentucky's Insurance System as being uninsured. A letter will be mailed to your residence instructing you to present proof of continuous coverage to your County Clerk. If you ignore the letter, your registration will be cancelled. If you operate the vehicle, or permit it to be operated, without insurance, you and the driver are subject to penalties.

I have a Recreational Vehicle that I only drive a couple of months a year. Do I need to maintain insurance for the entire year?

Yes. As long as there is a license plate on your vehicle, you must maintain insurance on the vehicle. You can turn in your license plate to the County Clerk's office and then cancel your insurance without penalty.

I have insurance, why did I receive an uninsured notice?

VIN MISMATCH--Kentucky law requires insurance companies registered with Kentucky to report all personal policies to the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing once a month. This electronic report is a list of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs). If the VIN reported by the insurance company for a particular vehicle does not match the VIN on record with Motor Vehicle Licensing, the vehicle will be flagged as being possibly uninsured. Likewise, if a VIN is left off the report given by the insurance company, but still shows as a registered vehicle in Motor Vehicle Licensing's records, the vehicle will be flagged as possibly uninsured. This will cause an uninsured notice to be mailed to the registered owner requesting verification that the vehicle is insured. If an individual finds that their VINs do not match, contact the County Clerk's office or the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing prior to contacting the insurance company to resolve the issue. If the VINs do match, contact the insurance company to have them provide proof of insurance to the County Clerk's office.

INCORRECT CLASSIFICATION OF POLICY TYPE--Kentucky requires insurance companies to report all personal policies once a month to the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing, but insurance companies are only required to report commercial policies if there is a change in the policy. If a vehicle has a commercial policy but is incorrectly coded as a personal policy, the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing will be looking for that policy to be reported each month. When it does not appear on the personal policy report (because it is commercial), the vehicle will be flagged as possibly uninsured. If an individual receives the uninsured notice and has a commercial policy for the vehicle listed on the notice, contact the County Clerk's office or the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing to resolve the issue.

SEASONAL VEHICLES--Owners of seasonal vehicles such as motorcycles or RVs are accustomed to dropping the insurance on these vehicles during the months they are not being driven. As long as the vehicle has a license plate, it is required by Kentucky law to maintain at minimum a liability insurance policy. To avoid penalties for a lack of insurance, the owners of these vehicles must turn in their license plate to the County Clerk's office prior to cancelling their insurance policy. When it is time to put the vehicle back on the road, secure proof of insurance and present the proof to the County Clerk. At that time, the clerk's office will allow registration of the vehicle.

HISTORIC VEHICLES--Much the same as seasonal vehicles, owners of vehicles with Historic license plates sometimes drop the insurance while the vehicle is not being driven, but fail to surrender the license plate to the County Clerk's office. This will cause an uninsured notice to be mailed because the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing has record of a registered vehicle without an insurance policy being reported each month. To avoid any penaties for a lack of insurance, turn in the license plate to the County Clerk's office prior to cancelling the insurance policy. When the time comes to get the vehicle back on the road, present proof of insurance to the County Clerk's office and the vehicle can be registered.

INCOMPLETE TRANSFER--When an individual sells a vehicle, whether to another individual, dealership, or scrap yard, the title is not transferred out of the seller's name until the buyer goes to their County Clerk's office to apply for a title in their name. It is common for a seller to receive an uninsured notice for a vehicle that has been sold. This is because the buyer has not completed the transfer of ownership, which is required by Kentucky law to take place within fifteen (15) days of the purchase. The Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing will show the seller as owner of the vehicle until the buyer makes application for title. This situation is known as an incomplete transfer and can be taken care of at the County Clerk's office.

ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY--Active duty military personnel are able to use out of state insurance to title and register any vehicle titled in their name here in Kentucky. When registering a vehicle, if it is recorded as a standard personal policy at the County Clerk's office rather than a military personal policy it will cause the vehicle to be flagged as being possibly uninsured. This is due to the insurance company not being required to send the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing a report of insured VINs each month. The Insurance System will not find a match because Kentucky does not require active duty military insurance policies to be reported each month. If you are currently on active military duty and you receive an uninsured notice letter, show proof of your active military service (pay stub, I.D.) to the County Clerk's office to resolve the issue.

Where can I find Kentucky's laws and regulations regarding vehicle insurance?

All of Kentucky's statues and regulations can be found at Kentucky's legislative webpage, www.lrc.ky.gov. Click on "Kentucky Law"

What laws and regulations should I be aware of that would help me understand Kentucky's vehicle insurance requirements?

An owner may not operate a vehicle in Kentucky until insurance has been obtained. An owner who fails to maintain insurance on his vehicle shall have his vehicle registration revoked according to statute. In addition, the vehicle owner as well as the vehicle driver are subject to a fine of $500 to $1000, up to 90 days in jail, or both. All owners of motor vehicles in Kentucky are required to carry minimum liability coverage. This means liability coverage of $25,000 for all claims for bodily injury damages sustained by any one person and not less than $50.000 for all bodily injury damages sustained by all persons as a result of any one accident, as well as $10,000 for all property damage as a result of any one accident. Alternatively, a policy with a single limit of $60,000 is acceptable. In addition, the policy must provide basic reparations benefits, unless the insured vehicle is a motorcycle.

I am stationed in Kentucky on active military duty, and have a vehicle I wish to title in Kentucky. Do I need insurance through an insurance company registered with Kentucky?

No. As long as your name appears on the title of the vehicle you wish to register and you can present the County Clerk with proof of active duty service (ID card, pay stub), out of state insurance will be accepted.

My official residence is in Kentucky, and my vehicle is still registered here. However, I am currently stationed in another state on active military duty and have insurance for that state. Must I obtain a Kentucky policy?

No. As long as your name appears on the title of the vehicle you wish to register and you can present the County Clerk with proof of active duty service (ID card, pay stub), out of state insurance will be accepted.

I am stationed in Kentucky on active military duty. My vehicle is registered out of state. Do I need to switch my vehicle's registration and insurance?

No. You can keep your vehicle registered with your state of record, or transfer the registration to Kentucky.

If I move to Kentucky, how soon must I change my registration and insurance to Kentucky?

KRS 186.020 states that a person who brings a motor vehicle into the Commonwealth of Kentucky shall make application for registration within fifteen (15) days in the county in which the person resides.

If I am attending college in Kentucky and my vehicle is registered in another state, do I still need to transfer the registration?

No. You are not required to transfer your registration. KRS 186.430 states that a student can keep home-state registration as long as they keep a current student identification card from a Kentucky college, university, or technical college in their possession at all times when driving in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

My vehicle is currently registered in Kentucky, but I am temporarily living in another state. Do I need to switch my insurance coverage to a carrier registered in the other state?

The vehicle must be registered in the state where it is principally operated, meaning the state where it will be operated for more than six (6) months of the year. As long as the vehicle is registered in Kentucky, the operator must comply with all of Kentucky's requirements.

My child has a vehicle registered in Kentucky and is attending school out of state. Should the insurance coverage be switched to a company in that state or kept in Kentucky?

If a vehicle is registered in Kentucky it must be insured by an insurance company admitted to do business in Kentucky. You should check with the state where your child is attending school to verify that state's registration requirements.

If I want to register a vehicle in Kentucky, what do I need to provide in terms of insurance?

Two important regulations are found within 806 KAR 39:070-the first being the mandatory contents of the insurance card. This regulation can be read in its entirety from the "Kentucky Law" section of www.lrc.ky.gov.&nbsp; In summary, "Commonwealth of Kentucky" must be printed on the card,
along with the company's NAIC number, the policy type, vehicle information, and policy holder information. Your policy must be
with an insurance company that is admitted to do business in Kentucky. In order to register your vehicle, proof of insurance must be presented to the County Clerk's office in the county where you live or purchased the vehicle.

I own a vehicle, but my wife carries the insurance on her policy. Would that be accepted at the County Clerk's office?

Yes. When presenting the County Clerk with proof of insurance, the name on the title does not need to match the name on the proof of insurance. The clerk will be checking to make sure the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) on your title matches the VIN on your insurance card.

I want to renew my registration online. Do I still need to provide proof of insurance?

If the Insurance System can verify insurance on your vehicle electronically, proof of insurance will be provided automatically. If proof of insurance cannot be verified, you will need to present proof of insurance to the County Clerk's office in the county
where the vehicle is registered.

I have a truck titled in my name, but the company I work for carries the insurance. Would this be acceptable at the County Clerk's office?

Yes. The name on the title does not need to match the name on the insurance policy. However, the insurance policy provided must come from an insurance company that is admitted to do business in Kentucky.